Primary election to narrow candidate fields
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 4, 2026 3:05 AM
EPHRATA — Races for local, statewide and federal offices will be winnowed to two candidates in today’s primary election.
Not all races attracted more than two candidates, so not all races are on the primary ballot. In Grant County, four people are running for Commission District 3, which opened when longtime commissioner Cindy Carter retired. In the primary, however, only voters who live within the commissioner district are eligible to cast ballots.
All county voters do cast ballots in the other county races, however. In Grant County, three races qualified for the primary, Grant County Sheriff, Grant County Auditor and Grant County Superior Court Judge, Position 3. One Adams County race is on the ballot; the auditor’s race attracted three candidates. Incumbent auditor Heidi Hunt announced her retirement earlier this year.
One state legislative race is on the primary ballot; a 13th District House of Representatives position attracted three candidates. The 13th District includes all of Grant County and a section of Adams County.
Voters will narrow the field in four Washington Supreme Court contested races.
The Fourth District position in the U.S. House of Representatives, left vacant by the retirement of Dan Newhouse, attracted 12 candidates. The Fourth District covers all of Grant County and a portion of Adams County. Most of Adams County is in the Fifth Congressional District, where incumbent Michael Baumgartner is being challenged by 11 candidates.
Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. today. Rebecca Pettingill, elections deputy for the Grant County Auditor’s Office, said dropping the ballot in the mail on Election Day isn’t a guarantee that it’ll be postmarked with the right date.
Pettingill said the best way to ensure a mailed ballot has the proper postmark is to have it canceled at the post office window. Ballots collected from the mailbox are not canceled locally. As a result they might be postmarked after Aug. 4.
“Then we cannot accept it,” Pettingill said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Othello city officials warn residents to beware of invoice scam
OTHELLO — Othello city officials are warning residents to pay careful attention if they receive what looks like an invoice from the city after a resident reported an attempted scam using information from city records. Community Development Director Anne Henning said the scammer was thorough. "They used our seal, our watermark; they had detailed information," she said. The scam email claimed to be from the city's building and planning department, looking for payment for a building permit. Henning said the city does send out invoices for some services, including building and planning services like building permits, as well as plan reviews, application fees and related services.
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GC Public Utility District proposed rates subject of Nov. 10 hearing
EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District customers are being invited to submit their reactions to proposed 2027 electrical rates at a hearing at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 in the PUD commission meeting room, 30 C St. SW, Ephrata. There's also a virtual option for people who can't attend the meeting in person; the link is under the "2027 rates" tab on the PUD website, grantpud.org.